I'll be back
by LittleMissMoucheMae
Summary: Ok, not really sure how this is going to pan out, but basically how Brit and Meat met, and what happened after that. This is a few years before WWRY I'm thinking... Please read and review it!
1. Shelter near the border

Brit's POV:

I was out scavenging in the wastelands again. I knew that I had to find shelter, because I was dangerously close to the borders of GaGa land, and the last thing I needed was to be caught with all of the fragments that I had found over the past month. I hadn't had the chance to look at them all properly yet, but I thought that they looked really important, so I needed to get them back to the Heartbreak.

The other reason that I needed to find shelter was the weather. Over the past couple of hours, snow had been falling heavily, and if I didn't get out of it soon I would freeze, or, worse still, as I couldn't see more than a metre in front of me, I might accidentally cross the border.

I shivered, wishing that I knew this part of the wastelands better. It was a new area that I had decided to search, and it was full of great stuff; lots of fragments and materials that would make fantastic instruments. However, this meant that I had no idea where the nearest shelter was.

Stumbling on for about an hour more, I came to a flight of steps leading underground. This was the best kind of hideout, because it keeps the weather out, and Killer Queen's Zone Clones never venture underground. Even if it was incredibly close to the border, I figured I'd be safe underground.

Checking the area for Globalsoft, I hurried down the steps. It must have been an old underground station, but I had no idea what it was because the sign appeared to be long gone. I figured that working out where I was could wait until morning when I could see what I was doing. No doubt all of the GaGa kids in the city across the border would be enjoying 'Virtual Vacations' to escape the cold weather anyway, so I wouldn't need to worry as much about being spotted.

As I reached the bottom of the steps and began to make my way into one of the tunnels, I tripped over something, or rather, over someone. My heart stopped as I considered the possibility that I might not be completely alone. What if there was a Zone Clone down here?

Fumbling in my bag, I pulled out the torch that I had found on my trip, and turned it on, preparing for a fight with Globalsoft. What, or who I saw on the floor couldn't have shocked me more.


	2. She looked like an angel

So so... Hope you liked the first chapter. A bit more will start happening soon, honest :)

* * *

><p>Brit's POV:<p>

I stared down in shock at the slim figure lying on the floor. It was a girl. She had obviously collapsed, although judging by the size of her, that wasn't a surprise. She looked like she hadn't eaten in well over a week.

I couldn't take me eyes off her. She was absolutely beautiful. She was tall and slim, with very pale white skin, and although her face was covered by a head of unruly, backcombed blonde hair, I had the feeling that it would be a beautiful face. She obviously wasn't a GaGa, as although she was wearing the pastel colours of GaGa land, they were torn, and splattered with various colours. The logos on the clothes were painted over, or had been removed. Where the coloured dyes and paints hadn't obscured the pastel colours of her clothing, there was dirt, mingled with sludge from the snow outside.

The girl's shoes were almost completely worn through; she had obviously walked along way, and they looked as if they had done nothing to protect her feet from the snow. That was typical of Globalsoft: design something to look good, not to work well. It makes them more money, and prevents the GaGa Kids from doing what this girl had done. The GaGa kids have no determination whatsoever.

This girl had determination.

I knelt down beside her to check her pulse. Her wrist was stone cold, and I worried that I'd been too late for her. Luckily, I managed to find a pulse, even if it was weak and unsteady.

I rolled her over, and strands of hair fell away to reveal the most beautiful face I had ever seen. In the weak light from my torch, she looked like an angel, even with the bruises that mingled with the pale red of her high cheekbones. I tucked her hair behind her ears, and just looked at her face for a minute. It was a face that I knew I would never forget…

So I had to do something. The girl was cold, and hardly breathing. I looked further into the tunnel, to see if there was a more sheltered spot. I scooped her up into my arms, which was easy; the girl weighed next to nothing. I carried her further into the tunnel, and set her down against the curved wall of the tunnel.

As I put her down, she groaned and shivered, but didn't say anything. Putting the torch on the floor to provide some light, I tore a long strip of fabric from my kilt, and wrapped it round her shoulders. I regretted the fact that I hadn't found a blanket on my travels, or at least thought to bring one.

I lit a small fire in front of us using some twigs that I had collected earlier that day. It would only last for a few hours, but it would provide some heat and light for us. I turned round to check on the girl.

The flickering firelight cast an eerie ghost-like shadow over her face. It was still very cold in the tunnel, but her breathing was a little more steady, and visible. She was still too cold though.

I hesitated. I had no idea when the girl was going to wake up, and I didn't know how she was going to react to me being there. To be honest, I had no idea how I should behave, being 15, and having never actually liked a girl before .However, she was cold, and needed more heat. I was worried that she wasn't going to make it.

I decided that the best thing for me to do would be to stay next to her, and give her my body heat. That would keep her warm, I could check on her easily, and I could watch for Globalsoft. I sat down next to her and pulled her towards me, wrapping my arms round her tightly.

I was planning on staying awake all night, to keep an eye on the girl and any possible intruders, but slowly, I began to relax…


	3. A rude awakening

Hope you're all enjoying it so far! :) I promise a bit more will happen soon, and I will try to write and update a bit faster! Also, sorry the chapter name is a bit rubbish, but I really couldn't think of a name for it...

* * *

><p>Meat's POV:<p>

I woke up. I felt warm and comfortable. I groaned, thinking that perhaps my escape from GaGa land had been a dream again, but as I opened my eyes, I realised that I wasn't in my bed, but next to some… man. I was horrified. What had happened last night?

I tried to move away from him, but his arms were wrapped tightly around me, and I couldn't move more than a few inches away from him. That meant that I couldn't look round to see where I was, or what had happened. All I could see was his neck and chin.

Slowly, I moved one of my hands and tried to remove one of his arms. Boy, this man had muscles! I couldn't shift his arm, but I had managed to wriggle back so that I could see his face. He was fast asleep, looking very happy. Deciding that I needed to get away from him, and realising that I wouldn't be able to do that until he was awake, I settled for the next best action. Let's just say I don't take kindly to strange guys sleeping next to me.

Brit's POV:

I fell asleep, although I suppose that's just stating the obvious. I nearly forgot what had happened the night before, but the slap that the girl delivered to my face made me remember pretty quickly.

I woke up to find my face stinging, and immediately tightened my grip on the girl, as if to protect her from an attack. She responded by struggling against me and slapping me again.

'Oi! Watch where you're putting your hands will you? Please?' I added the please as an afterthought. No need for her to think that Britney Spears has no manners. The girl was oblivious to my manners, and started to struggle even more.

'Watch were ahm puttin' me 'ands? Aye, you're a righ' one ta talk! Oo d'ya think ya are? Ye pervert!'

She was having a go at me, but I was entranced by the way she was talking. I hadn't heard anyone talk like that before. I didn't take in what she had actually said, but tightened my grip on her and looked her in the eye.

'Why do you talk like that?' I asked her, but she obviously wasn't in the mood for questions like that. It was then that I realised that she had just called me a pervert.

'Wha' doo ya mean why do ah talk lahke that? Ah don't think that's any of ya business, an anyways, AH DINNAE TALK TA PERVERTS!' She screamed in my ear. The girl had quite a voice, and a very thick accent to boot.

'I'm sorry, I was just curious, I've never heard anyone speak like that before, and I'm not a pervert, honest…' I tried to calm her down, but she started shouting again.

'Ya not a pervert? Ya just curious? Dinnae lie tah me! Settlin yah sel' down nex' t' ah random girl, an' not letting her go? But ya not a pervert? Not exactly plausible, is it eh?'

She was shouting, and she didn't show signs of stopping any time soon. I suddenly realised that we were very close to the border, and the girl was making a lot of noise, so not knowing what else to do, I placed a hand over her mouth.

I hadn't thought that the girl could get any angrier, but as I stopped her from speaking, she started to struggle violently and kick me. Her face turned bright red and incoherent noises still escaped from beneath my hand. She was absolutely livid. I hadn't wanted to make her angry, or stop her from talking, but I really needed her to listen to me. I moved so that my mouth was by her ear, tightened my grip, and spoke in a calm yet serious voice.

'Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't want to stop you talking, but you need to listen to me, and we're still pretty close to the border, so if you want Globalsoft to hear you then carry on shouting, but I have a feeling you were trying to get away from them. You're not a GaGa girl. So listen to me. I'm not a pervert. I found you here last night, there was a blizzard, and it was freezing. You were hardly breathing, and if I hadn't of helped you, you wouldn't have lasted the night. So I made a fire, and put that tartan fabric from my kilt round you, but you were still cold, so I put my arms round you, to give you some more heat and make sure that you'd get through the night. I hadn't meant to fall asleep; I was watching the entrance for Globalsoft, and checking that you were still alive. You needed help, so I helped you. Understand?'

The girl had stopped kicking while I was speaking. When I stopped talking, I didn't move my hand away from her mouth. She nodded to let me know she understood me, but I wasn't convinced that she had calmed down completely and wouldn't start shouting again. She tried to move out of my grasp, but I held her still, and continued talking.

'I haven't finished yet. I need you to trust me. You're obviously running from somewhere, and you probably don't have anywhere to go, do you?' Reluctantly, she shook her head. I continued. 'I thought as much. When I take my hand away from your mouth, I want you to tell me what's happened. I can help you. But no shouting, please. Understand?'

The girl nodded, and slowly I pulled my hand away from her mouth. She tried to move away from me, so I relaxed my grip slightly. The girl took a deep breath and began to talk.


	4. I ain't no GaGa girl

Long time no update, eh? Sorry, life's been a bit manic. Hope you enjoy this. Please review it, it would make me happy :)

* * *

><p>Meat's POV:<p>

'Ahm from the Highlands region of the Euro precinct,' I began slowly, trying to suppress my accent so that it was easier for him to understand me. He didn't say anything, and just listened as I continued.

'Ah guess ah just didn't fit in with all the GaGa kids. They thought the world was perfect, but I just hated it. I needed to get out. So I tried to get out.

'It was about 3 years ago and I had just started at the virtual high. I didn't talk to anyone, so I had no friends. All the GaGa girls treated me like a freak. That's when I realised. I ain't no GaGa girl. So I decided to rock the boat.

'I didn't pay attention in lessons. I got sarcastic, and always answered back. I started to tell people that I wasn't a GaGa girl and that I hated Globalsoft. So they started to bully me even more.

'I decided to give myself one last day. I really made a stand. I shouted my insults back, I painted over every Globalsoft logo I could find, and I let all of the Zone Clones know that Globalsoft is fascism. Then I left.

'I ran out of the school gates, deep into the Highlands of the real world. I went to my favourite spot, on top of a hill, where I had already hidden some sharp glass and a small knife. I got them out and tried to cut my wrists. Tried to end it right there.'

The man, or boy, I realised now that I could see him properly, tightened his grip on my arm slightly, but didn't interrupt me.

'Unfortunately for me, Globalsoft caught me before I could do any real damage. The teachers at the virtual high had reported me, and with all of their technology it dinnae take 'em long to find me.

'They took me into an 'ospital and locked me up there for about 3 years. They decided that as I was just a kid when I rebelled, ah needed help an' a more stable family. Mah real parents were always drunk, so weren't much good for anything.

'They kept me in the 'ospital and talked to me. I was more of a prisoner than a patient, while they decided what to do with me. They connected me to a load of wires, and tried to look inside my brain, to see if I was really a rebel.

'When I turned 14 ah managed to convince them that I wasn't a threat to Globalsoft. They decided to let me have a new start. I was given a new web address an' moved to the Outer London region, where ah was given a new family, who knew how to deal with me and make me GaGa.

'Ah stayed there for a week or so, saving as much food as I could, and gaining my new family's trust. Then when they decided it was ok to let me out of their sight, I ran. I got out of the city as quickly as I could. But it wasn't like the highlands. I didn't know where to go.

'To make matters worse it was snowing hard, an' my new family had insisted on dressin' me in these horrible GaGa clothes, so I was cold. I'd covered the clothes in paint, an' torn 'em, as ye can see. I didn't want anything to do with Globalsoft and GaGa land.

'Ah carried on walkin' for, ah don't know, maybe a week. I ate the food that I had managed to save, and tried to get away from GaGa land. Problem was I didn't know where to go. I walked an' walked, an' the snow got heavier. In the end ah saw that flight o' steps headin underground, an' decided to stop for the night. I cannae remember anything after that, 'cept for wakin' up next to you.'


	5. Keep Yourself Alive

Ok... here it is! Please please please let me know what you think! :) And, if you can, please suggest a better chapter name too :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing WWRY related :(

* * *

><p>Brit's POV:<p>

I was shocked. I hadn't expected all of that. This girl had been through a lot. She obviously wasn't GaGa, and from what she had just said, it sounded like she was pretty much destined to be a rebel.

The girl started to shift nervously. I was still holding her arms, and as she moved, I realised that several minutes had passed since she finished talking, and I was hadn't actually said anything. She didn't know what to do with the silence, and I wasn't really sure of what I should say.

'Wow, that's quite impressive…' I ventured in an attempt to break the silence.

The girl stopped moving, and looked at me warily. It looked like she wasn't going to make this conversation easy. It was hard to think of something else to say to her. I was still taking in everything that she had just said. I was nervous, and embarrassed about the way that I had shut her up. I'd probably blown any chances I might have had with her by doing that.

'So… you're what? 14?' I asked, hoping that she would respond, and break the awkward silence. She nodded slowly, still not trusting me.

'Aye. What about you?'

'I'm 15,' I told her, before realising that she knew absolutely nothing about me. She was looking at me expectantly, so I decided that I should tell her a little bit about myself. Not everything though; although I was pretty sure she wasn't a GaGa, I didn't want to take any chances.

'So… I guess you want to know who I am…' Great start, not she must think I am even more stupid. She nodded slowly, looking into my eyes, still trying to work out whether or not she could trust me.

'Ok, I'll tell you a bit about myself, but first I need to check you for bugs. As you've come from GaGa land, chances are the pigs will be able to track you-'

'Do ye think ahm stupid?' The girl cut me off. 'Of course ah left me electronics at the border! I'm not gonnae let the wee pigs track me dahn again!'

'Woah, woah, calm down! Remember what I said about shouting?' The girl had raised her voice, and this worried me, so I had tightened my grip on her arms again, to get her to pay attention to me. I tried to explain:

'I never thought you were stupid, it's just that with their technology, and your history, I wouldn't put it past Globalsoft to have put some kind of bug on you. It's just to be on the safe side. I've been in and out of the prisons at Globalsoft more times than I can count, and escaping gets more difficult every time, so I just don't like to take any chances.'

She looked at me disbelievingly for a minute, and then spoke again.

'So where will this bug be then, if they've tagged me?' She wasn't convinced.

'Erm, they generally put them on your wrist, but they could be at the back of your neck, or anywhere, for that matter.'

'Hmm…' she said, looking at her wrists. 'Ah don't think there's anything 'ere. Ah think ah would 'ave noticed if I'd been bugged. Ah don't thin-'

She froze, her eyes wide, and then she started struggling, trying to remove her arms from my grasp.

'What is it?' I questioned, trying to hold her arms still.

'Mah neck.' She whispered, 'Ah think they said summat, at the 'ospital. Let go of me, I need to check.'

I let go of her, but put my hands on her shoulders, ready to turn her around. She flinched slightly at my touch. I had the feeling that there was something she wasn't saying about her time in the Globalsoft hospital.

'Let me check. I know what I'm looking for,' I told her, before twisting so that I could get a better look at her neck. I moved her hair out of the way and examined her neck.

'By the Gods of Rock…' I breathed, and she stiffened.

'What? Tell me, what 'ave ye found?' The girl's voice was demanding.

'I've never seen such a big micro-transceiver,' I told her.

'Well what can ye do?' She asked me. I answered reluctantly.

'The only thing we can do is cut it out. It looks like it's embedded in the skin; part of it is sticking out. I know that sounds painful, but it's our only option. If we don't remove it, the pigs will track us down in no time. Chances are they can hear everything we are saying.'

She turned to face me, her eyes wide with fear.

'Well, if that's what ye 'ave tah do, ah suppose you'd best cut it out. Will it hurt?' I realised how vulnerable she was here. She was alone in the wastelands, having collapsed from hunger and exhaustion, with a complete stranger.

'It won't hurt too much,' I reassured her, reaching for my bag. I realised that showing her my knife wasn't the best idea, so I pulled her towards me, and positioned her head ready to take out the micro-transceiver. Once I was confident that she couldn't see what I was doing, I pulled out my knife. I put an arm round her shoulders and she flinched again, but when I told her to hold onto my arm, she did so straight away. Gently, I cut into the skin surrounding the bug, and pulled it out. The girl's grip tightened around my arm, and she let out a horrible cry of pain. I wiped the area that I had cut into and moved away from her. It was all I could do not to pull her closer to me and kiss her.

The girl didn't turn around to face me straight away, but put an arm to her neck, to feel where the bug had been. She was crying softly. Awkwardly, I put an arm round her and held her to me as I looked at the micro-transceiver. She flinched slightly, but didn't try to move away from me.

As I looked at the bug, annoyance flooded through me. Why hadn't I checked her for bugs last night? This was the best bug I had ever seen; it could track precise movements underground, detect sounds, and record thoughts. It even sent information to Globalsoft about the area, and the people around it, so that Globalsoft has an advantage when they attacked. I'd seen enough. I could tell Globalsoft were on their way.

'We need to go.' I told the girl, moving away from her and gathering my things. I removed the microchip from the bug and tossed it onto the fire, and once I was confident that it had burnt, I stamped the fire out, making sure I crushed the bug. I put the microchip in my bag; we couldn't be tracked from that and it prevented Globalsoft from getting hold of the information.

The girl looked up at me warily as I prepared to leave. She had wrapped a scrap of fabric around her shoulders and had moved backwards so that she had her back against the wall. I crouched down in front of her.

'We don't have much time. I need you to trust me. Globalsoft probably know where we are right now, so it is quite simply life or death. You need to come with me. I promise that it is by far the safest thing for you. I won't hurt you, and you'll be much better off if you come with me. Is that OK with you?' I really needed her to trust me.

She nodded slowly, realising that I was her only option if she wanted to escape from Globalsoft. I knew that she wasn't really bothered about surviving; she had attempted suicide at the age of 11 so she obviously had nothing to live for. She didn't want to be caught be Globalsoft, because they wouldn't kill her, they would torture her by keeping her alive, and brainwashing her.

Globalsoft weren't the only ones that wanted to keep her alive. I wanted her alive. I hadn't known her for long, but I really liked her, in a way that I had never liked anyone before.

But liking her wasn't the problem at the moment. Getting out was my problem.

The girl moved to stand up, but as she straightened her legs she fell forwards. I caught her and held her up. She was clearly exhausted, and had been underfed in the GaGa land.

'Ahm fine,' she murmured, her eyes closed and hands to her head. I didn't let go of her, and instead took her head in my hands, moving it so that it was tilted towards me. She opened her eyes and looked at me.

'You can't walk.' I told her, 'even if you can, it won't be fast enough.' She looked worried, and I realised that she thought I would leave her there, to wait for Globalsoft to arrive.

'Hey, I'm not leaving you behind. I can carry you. It will be quicker, and you can get your strength back. Let me just grab my bag.'

I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked back over to her. I put an arm under her shoulder and another under her knees and lifted her up. She was as light as a feather. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and I adjusted the piece of fabric she had wrapped around her shoulders, so that it protected her from the cold better. I set off, taking one of the dark tunnels. I lit the way using my torch, and weaved through the tunnels. The girl kept her eyes on the path in front of us.

After a few minutes, she turned to me, and asked me where we were going.

'We can't go back the way we came in, we're probably snowed in, and that's the way that Globalsoft will probably come in. We'll find a way through the tunnels; it's a lot safer and warmer underground. Don't worry; we're going to be alright.'

We didn't say anything after that, and I just carried on walking. I was happy just holding her, knowing that every step I took was taking us further away from Globalsoft. Maybe over time I would have the courage to tell her how I felt, but for now, keeping her safe with me was enough.


	6. Sound of the Underground

So... somebody was in the mood for a LOT of writing... sorry about that! :P

OK, once again, the title of the chapter is rubbish, and sorry about writing so much, there was just a lot for Meat to say.

Please review! :)

* * *

><p>Meat's POV:<p>

He picked me up and started walking. He held me gently, like I weighed no more than a feather. I suppose I didn't, it wasn't like I had been really taking care of myself.

I sat still, and said nothing, apart from asking where we were going. I was too terrified to say anything else really. It wasn't because I was scared of where we were going, or because I had no idea who this person was, but because I was scared of looking stupid in front of him. He must have already thought I was stupid, given that I had tried to kill myself, but I was actually starting to like him, or at least trust him a bit. I had no idea who he was, but I felt like I could trust him, which was quite an achievement, given that I've never trusted anyone. But there I was, in the arms of a stranger who knew my life story.

We carried on in silence. He probably needed all of his energy to get us away, and I really couldn't think of anything to say. I had no idea how long he walked with me in silence, but it felt like hours. All of the tunnels looked exactly the same; dark and dingy, but fairly safe. There was no way Globalsoft would come down here. Unless they were looking for rebels, maybe. Bohemians.

I looked up at the man. Could he be a bohemian? I'd only ever heard them whispered about when nobody was around. They were rebels who had broken free. I cleared my throat nervously, and the man looked down at me.

'Are you OK?' He asked me politely, 'do you need to stop at all?'

He slowed down, and took a sudden right towards a flight of stairs. He carried me down them, and we reached a platform. He set me down on the edge of the platform, so that my legs dangled over the edge of it. He kept an arm around my back to keep me upright. I looked him in the eye.

'Are you a bohemian?' I asked him quietly.

He looked at me for a moment, obviously deciding if I could be trusted. Then he sat down properly next to me.

'Maybe it's time that I told you about myself,' he began, 'you're right, I am a bohemian. I could never conform to the GaGa way of life. My name is Brit. Britney Spears.'

Britney Spears? What kind of a name was that?

'I was brought up by bohemians. I was abandoned in the wasteland as a baby, and luckily for me, the bohemians found me and raised me. I am who I am because of them. They taught me about the lost riffs, and about live music, and the kings of the past.'

I couldn't believe my luck. I try to escape Globalsoft, and the first person I run into is a bohemian.

'Lost riffs?' I asked.

Brit looked at me, smiling slightly. It looked like he was glad to have someone that he could share his knowledge with.

'Yeah, the lost riffs. There was a time when Globalsoft didn't rule Planet Mall. It wasn't even called Planet Mall, it was called Planet Earth. But they had live music back then. There were no GaGas, and people could make their own music. It must have been amazing. But then Globalsoft took over and most of the songs were lost. We try to find them, so that we can piece the fragments together.'

'Most of the songs?' I asked. I was intrigued.

'We've found a few. There are still lots of songs that are lost though. We have no idea how many there are left to find, but when we find the Dreamer, he'll help us. He'll be able to dream the words, and bring down Globalsoft.'

His answer seemed a bit cagey, almost as though he had realised how much he had said, and still wasn't sure if he could trust me. Sensing this, I changed the subject.

'So… Any idea what time it is?' He shrugged.

'I'll tell you how we can find out though. Fancy going up to the surface for a couple of minutes?'

I must have looked as confused as I felt, so Brit stood up. He moved to pick me up again, but I flinched away. OK, I trusted him, but I still had an issue with contact, especially when I hadn't known it was coming. It was probably going to take me a while to become completely comfortable around people again.

'Do you want to walk?' Brit could obviously sense that something was wrong, but I was glad that he didn't asked. I really didn't want to talk about it. I nodded, and pushed myself up. I stumbled slightly, but managed to stay upright.

I followed Brit to the flight of stairs, or the escalator, as I realised now. He tried to keep me next to him, but I was a lot slower than him, so kept lagging behind.

There were another two incredibly long escalators to climb up before I could feel an icy breeze. We wandered through a corridor until we came to a flight of stairs not unlike the ones I had come down before I met Brit. He reached for my hand, and something about the way that he held it told me that he wasn't going to let go of it. Whether it was for my safety or to stop me from running off, I wasn't quite sure.

We climbed the stairs and I took a few deep breaths, revelling in the fresh air, which was a welcome alternative to the stale air underground. I looked around. The land was coated in snow, and I could see no sign of Globalsoft. It was so quiet, and empty. I loved it.

Brit must have seen me smile, because he welcomed me to the wastelands, before pointing out various landmarks: an abandoned van, an old arena, and various ruins. It was amazing.

I don't know how long we stayed out there, but when I started to shiver Brit pulled my hand and guided me back underground. As we went down the first flight of stairs, he whispered in my ear: 'By the way, it's the middle of the afternoon.'

Instead of going back down all of the escalators, Brit led me through a door. The room looked like it had once been an office, but it was now furnished with two mattresses and a number of blankets, as well as some tins of food.

As I was taking in the contents of the room, Brit pulled a bookcase in front of the door, trapping us in. I jumped, suddenly terrified, and tried to move away from Brit. He had blocked the only exit.

_No._

'Hey, relax,' he began, moving towards me. He was wearing a look of concern, but I didn't trust him.

'Stay away from me, _please_,' I begged, my voice shaky and full of fear. He had me backed up against the wall, and I looked around frantically, trying to find a way of escaping. Then, realisation dawned in Brit's eyes. He backed away from me, and went to sit on a mattress.

'Holy Gods of Rock, you never actually thought I'd…?' I stared at him warily, trying to work out what he would do next. 'Oh God… Did they do _that_ to you in the hospital?' He shook his head, seemingly shocked at what Globalsoft would do. Brit looked up at me.

'Listen to me. I'm not going to ask what happened. If you don't want to talk about it, then it's up to you. But you need to understand me when I say that I am not going to hurt you. You can trust me. Nobody is going to hurt you like that.

'That wasn't the only entrance. I had to block it because we are so close to the surface. It holds Globalsoft back, so if there is an attack, we can escape. The CCTV system still works, so we can see them coming if they attack. We can stay here for a couple of days. You can get your strength back and we'll stay out of the bad weather and keep away from Globalsoft. There's a bathroom through there, and we have some food, so we can stay here for a couple of days, before moving on to the Bohemian base.'

Slowly, I moved away from the wall and perched on a wooden chair in the corner of the room. I had trusted him, but now I wasn't so sure.

'Do you, um, want to get changed? You must be freezing in that. There are plenty of clothes to choose from in the bathroom.' He was awkward, and didn't know what to say. I could see he hated the tension as much as I did, but I couldn't go near him. It brought back too many unpleasant memories.

Without saying anything, I stood up and walked towards the bathroom, watching Brit all the time. Although he had said I could trust him, I still wasn't sure.

Once inside the bathroom, I was glad to find that there was a lock. I took a minute to calm down, before walking over to an old wardrobe. As promised, it was full of clothes. They were amazing. I spent some time picking out something to wear. Something that was warm, but pretty. In the end I found a pair of skinny jeans and a giant hoody. They were perfect. I slipped on a pair of military boots and looked around at the rest of the bathroom. There was a cracked mirror in the corner, above the sink. I looked in it, and wasn't surprised at the state of my appearance. I washed the grime off my face, and applied some thick black eyeliner. Then I looked at my hair. I had never kept it in great condition, but now it was so frizzy and knotted that I doubted I would ever get it brushed out neatly again. Instead, I put colourful ribbons into it, and used a bit of hair dye in places. I found a scrap of paper on the floor, with a small hole through it. It appeared to be an old travel pass. That went into my hair too.

I felt so much better after all of that. I was warm, and I was expressing myself in a way that I hadn't been able to before. I was still worried about being in the same room as Brit again, but now that I wasn't in such exposing clothing, I felt a lot better.

When I had finished in the bathroom, I unlocked the door slowly, and looked around the door nervously. Brit was reading something, a worried look on his face. When he heard me he looked up, and an expression of amazement crossed his face.

'Wow! You look... absolutely… amazing! Totally rock and roll!' He was really impressed with my new look. I was still really nervous around him.

'I don't…' I began. I really didn't believe him.

'No, you really do! You look like a bohemian now,' he reassured me. I liked what he said. I wanted to be a bohemian.

'Do ye really think so?' I asked nervously. He nodded, grinning at me. The grin scared me slightly, but I moved further out into the room and sat on the other mattress. He smiled sympathetically, knowing how hard it was for me to come that close to him.

'So, do you want anything to eat?' He got up slowly and walked over to the surface where the tins and packets were piled. I stood up and walked towards them, keeping my distance from him. I had a look at some of the labels. Most of the tins were full of baked beans, and most of the packets were crackers. I took a few crackers from one of the packets and sat back down.

'Hey, that can't be all you're eating!' He opened a tin of beans and divided it between two bowls. He handed one to me. 'Come on, you need to keep your strength up.' It was strange; nobody had actually cared about how much I ate before. Looking back, that would have been the perfect way to get rid of myself. Globalsoft wouldn't have noticed until it was too late.

I took the bowl of cold beans and started to eat them. They were a bit disgusting cold, but at least it was food.

After a few minutes, Brit started to talk again. 'I just realised, you never told me your name. What is it?'

I shook my head. 'I had my GaGa name but I never bothered with that. I'm not really sure what it was. I was beyond caring.' He looked worried as I said this, but carried on all the same.

'Well maybe we could give you a new name then? As you're a bohemian? Here.' He handed me a pile of papers. 'Have a look through these. See what you like.'

I took the papers and sifted through them. I took my time, wanting to find the right name. Eventually I came to one that I liked. I sounded it out.

'Meat. Meat Loaf.' I said, liking the way the words sounded.

Brit looked up. He smiled at me, and told me he liked it. He kept looking at me, a small smile on his face.

'You know, Meat, I think that's the first time I've seen you smile properly since we got to this room.'

I cringed slightly, remembering what had happened and why.

'Oh, Meat, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of that. You were happy just then!' Brit began, trying to stop me from shutting up completely again. 'If you don't want it to be mentioned then that's absolutely fine. It's your choice.' I looked up at him, deciding that I needed to tell someone. I'd trusted him, so maybe he was the right person to tell.

'No, it's alright. I need to tell someone. It's just I can still remember it all really vividly.' He nodded, and I had the feeling that he understood somewhat. I took a deep breath. 'When Globalsoft locked me up in the hospital, they didn't just look into my brain. They interrogated me daily. Asked me if I was a rebel. Asked what I had done. Who I knew, who I talked to. I wouldn't answer their questions, so they tried to break me down. I think it was about a year ago when they began trying to get answers out of me like that. Backed me into a corner, and beat me, and, and, and…' I stopped, unable to say it.

'It's OK; you don't have to say it.' Brit said soothingly.

'They tried to get answers. Every one of the SPs. Even Khashoggi sometimes. And they threatened me with even worse if I told anyone. When they let me go, I couldn't stand to be near anyone, couldn't trust anyone.' I closed my eyes tightly, trying to forget.

'You're safe now. They won't find you out here,' Brit reassured me. I did feel safer out here.

'I'm sorry, Meat, um, about before. I had guessed something was wrong, but I never thought…' I shrugged and opened my eyes, and he gave me a small smile. At least I'd established that he wasn't like any of the SPs. I really felt that I could trust Brit. He was just that sort of person.

I sat on one of the mattresses and tucked my knees up to my chest. I picked up the pile of papers again and looked at them, trying to imagine what a past without Globalsoft would have been like.


End file.
